William Miller's Bible

To discover all the other exciting events happening in Adventist Heritage month, visit the Adventist Heritage website.

Jared Martin is the senior pastor of Coastlife Seventh-day Adventist Church on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He has just completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Ellen G White Studies and Seventh-day Adventist Church History at Andrews University and has recently returned from an Adventist history tour around North America. 

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This Bible belonged to William Miller, the American preacher who predicted Jesus would return in 1844. It looks like any other old Bible. The cover is worn. Some of the pages are falling out. The edges are stained from turning the pages back and forth countless times. But look closely.

The Bible is open to the book of Daniel which describes the history of the world and the end-time judgement. It’s a scary book with beasts and horns, fire and destruction. This is where Miller began his apocalyptic sermons to warn people that the end of the world was rapidly approaching.

Now people at this time were used to fire and brimstone sermons, but Miller’s sermons were different. Take another look at the Bible. The left-hand side is stained from where he gripped the Bible. But what about the right-hand side, where are the stains? To prove the prophecies of Daniel, where did Miller turn? The pages of Revelation are still in good condition, because Miller was turning to somewhere else: the Gospels.

Miller knew that Bible prophecy can only be understood through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and when understood correctly, it leads to a relationship with Him. Miller writes:

“Behold, the heavens grow black with clouds;
the sun has veiled himself;
the moon, pale and forsaken, hangs in middle air;
the hail descends;
the seven thunders utter loud their voices;
the lightnings send their vivid gleams of sulphurous flame abroad;
and the great city of the nations falls to rise no more forever and forever!
At this dread moment, look! look! –O, look and see!
What means that ray of light?
The clouds have burst asunder;
the heavens appear, the great white throne is in sight!
Amazement fills the universe with awe!
He comes! –He comes!
Behold, the Saviour comes!
Lift up your heads, ye saints,–He comes! He comes! He comes!”.1

Like Miller, may Bible prophecy always lead us to Jesus, and may we share his excitement of Jesus’ soon return.

Verse of the day:
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” John 15:15 (NIV).